| Abstract [eng] |
Disabled people together with other vulnerable groups in the Lithuanian labor market face multiple barriers to employment. Inclusive employment is part of a social integration policy for people with disabilities. The paper presents two main instruments for promoting inclusive employment in Lithuania: social enterprises and active labor market policies (ALMP). The aim of the analysis is to answer the question whether social enterprises and active labor market policies improve the transition of vulnerable groups, especially the disabled, to the open labor market. The article examines the changes in state-supported labor market integration mechanisms using retrospective comparison and secondary data analysis methods. The work is based on the findings from the research “Labor market policies for employment in various conditions of the economic development cycle” (DSTI, 2012), and opensource data provided by the responsible state institutions and international organizations. The analysis of the normative construction and implementation of measures for the integration of vulnerable groups of the population, including the disabled, into the labor market performed from inclusive employment approach showed that the participation of the disabled in the open labor market is less promoted than participation in sheltered employment. The structure of funding for the integration of the disabled into the labor market creates particularly favorable conditions for social enterprises in comparison with other market participants who may intend to employ a disabled person as well but do not have an appropriate status. Even if the rules on the financing of social enterprises were slightly changed during the time, the control of their social integration activities was partially tightened with no means to influence the content of these activities. Previous research on active labor market policies have generally shown positive longterm integration of people with disabilities into the labor market, however, participation of people with disabilities in ALMPs is still low. There is still a big demand for buildings, transport, and infrastructure adjustment to the needs of people with disabilities. There is also a lack of recognition that adaptation of environment is one of the key issues in the context of the integration of people with disabilities into the open labor market. Integration measures such as wage subsidies are still dominant, but the implementation of job place adjustment and other measures that remove or reduce obstacles to the functioning of a disabled person are hampered. The information and motivation measures in the workplace applied by the employment services for the disabled are not yet sufficiently developed. Involving a wider range of actors, such as business or non-governmental actors, in the provision of services for the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market would enable to reduce gaps and increase innovation in this area. |
